I wanted to review this site for a couple of different reasons. Tony, the author of “Other Men’s Flowers”, has been blogging for over a year. If someone’s stuck with something that long, then it’s obviously something they truly enjoy. I like reading weblogs written by people who really enjoy them. Secondly, the main page of the URL is currently full of posts with pictures scattered amongst them. When authors break up the text with something like this, it makes a weblog easy to read. These were the two expectations I had going into this weblog, but sadly, neither one of them were met.
Beginning with the layout, which is the most exciting thing on this site; readers see a Blogger template load in their window. It’s not a popular template, but is a classy one that will probably be overused soon enough. The browns and blacks used in the background and text do go well together, and make the site easy to read and navigate.
A banner that the author has created on his own is placed at the top of the site, explaining what the site is about. “Comments, mini-essays, anecdotes and quotations on language, literature, politics, the arts and almost anything else. Some are quite serious but most are not. Updated every two days or so.” It is a rather bland description, but it does describe the weblog to perfection.
“Other Men’s Flowers” begins in January 2004. It begins with a post of just one image – the image that is later, I’m guessing, turned into the banner that greets random visitors. Beginning at the beginning, hoping to gain some understanding before becoming completely engulfed with this site, I was unable to grab onto any common denominator with this author and what he writes.
Some of his posts focus on literature, ranging from recent to ancient. There are titles of posts that lead readers one way, only to be jerked all the way around backwards once they start reading the posts. For example, when I see a post called “Warm Beer”, I certainly do not expect to read a paragraph or two John Major misquoting Orwell in a quote about beer. Maybe there are other people out there looking for weblog that does connect these two things, and if so, this site is for them.
The entries are very dry. There’s not a lot of humor or a lot of personal touch that would make readers come back as if they feel a connection to the author. Yes, the author occasionally places a photo here or there to add a more detailed touch to an entry, but that’s still not enough.
I left this site feeling ripped off. I read months upon months of archives and feel as if I have nothing from it. No personal connection with the author, no bit of wisdom to carry on, and, unfortunately, no real desire to return to this site at all.
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